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Thursday, 15 September 2016

Mediterranean Vegetable and Goats Cheese Couscous Salad

Now that I am a university student, I'm slowly beginning to learn how to cook in smaller portions. Discovering and adapting recipes to save money but also how not to waste food. One of my biggest pet hates! I have to confess it is rather tricky to shop for one when the supermarkets these days like to cater for a whole household rather than for just one person. However, I am sure that bit by bit I will pick up tips and learn to love my freezer, (which, by the way is absolutely rammed full to the point of no return!)

So, as I am doing a food degree and I also have to cook for myself every night, you may start to find more and more main meal recipes (i.e what I eat for my lunch/tea) appearing on my blog rather than just the sweet stuff... as to bake at the weekends as well may send me into cooking overdrive. (that's not to say I'm never gonna share with you a bake recipe again as that would be just pure madness!!! Craaazy. )

This recipe is exactly that. A student friendly recipe which is easy, quick and inexpensive if you're clever about where you buy your goats cheese from. The fact that it's also meat free means I can cut the cost dramatically. Vegetarian food here I come... well, for most of the week. I still won't be able to resist it now and then but I'm certainly looking forward to trying out new veggie recipes that I wouldn't normally do at home.

This salad is perfect for a lunch or evening meal and once cool it can be kept in the fridge for the following day in an air tight container. (That's what I did.)

Mediterranean Vegetable and Goats Cheese Couscous Salad

Serves 2

Ingredients:

1 courgette

½ red pepper

½ red onion

2 garlic cloves, peeled

9-10 cherry tomatoes, halved

½ tsp dried oregano or fresh (chopped finely)

salt and pepper

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp balsamic vingear

100g couscous

small handful of sultanas

160ml boiling water

1 tsp red pesto (tomato)

90g goats cheese, rind sliced off and broken into small pieces

small bunch of fresh parsley

1 tbsp flaked almonds - optional

Method

Preheat the oven to 200°C/ 400°F/ gas 6. Wash and slice the courgette about 1 cm thick. Slice the red pepper into small strips and roughly chop the onion. Place the vegetables into a roasting tray along with the peeled garlic cloves and halved cherry tomatoes. Sprinkle over the oregano and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle over the oil and vinegar. Toss all together with your hands until everything is well coated in the oil. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, making sure the onion doesn't burn.

While the vegetables are cooking place the couscous into a bowl and add the sultanas. Pour over the boiling water and cover with cling film. Leave for 5 minutes. Then use a fork to fluff up the couscous. Stir in the pesto. Taste and add some more pesto if you feel like it needs more.

Once the vegetables are cooked remove the garlic cloves. With a fork squish the cloves and add to the couscous. Stir again so the garlic is distributed evenly throughout the couscous. To plate up, spoon the couscous onto a plate with the roasted vegetables then sprinkle over the goats cheese pieces. Roughly chop the parsley and sprinkle over the top along with the flaked almonds.